1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a weight check of a customer's order at a quick-service restaurant, and more particularly to a system for checking the contents of a bagged order to determine if it is correct. The order is input into a computer system that is adapted to check for the correct food content by means of weighing the bagged order. The restaurant personnel are alerted by the computer system when the packaged order is either overweight or underweight when compared to a predetermined weight range for the total items ordered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry there are major problems which exist in properly filling customer orders. Such problems may include one or more of the following most common mistakes made when preparing and filling an order such as:
missing items--(such as forgetting to add fries to the bag); PA1 wrong items from those ordered; PA1 handing out the wrong order to the customer.
Because drive-thru and to-go orders are typically served in non-transparent containers, which are most commonly bags, the inaccuracy of the food handed out may not be obvious to either the customer or the store associate. Further complicating this issue is that the majority of drive-thru customers leave the restaurant premises before inspecting the order. This makes the inaccuracy of drive-thru orders very difficult to correct and very aggravating for the customers.
In a typical quick-service restaurant orders are received and entered into a Point-of-Sale (POS) register. This register is linked to a potentially complex network of registers, monitors, bump bars, printers, and processors called a "POS System". This system is driven by specialized software packages that route and track orders, send messages to peripheral equipment, and compile statistics.
Current POS software packages allow great flexibility and drive specialized hardware. Much effort has gone into using this flexibility to develop new applications to enhance this system. Examples include automatic change making machines, ATMs and automated drink makers. However, the present invention is designed to provide a new and unique application for this environment.